MANILA, Philippines—One of the country’s oldest golf clubs has temporarily suspended a member of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Cabinet and a Pampanga fishpond owner from playing on its courses after their families were involved in a tee house brawl.

The fight on Friday at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City between the families of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and businessman Delfin de la Paz has also sparked a lawsuit and threats of a counter-lawsuit.

Insp. Maria Luisa Pedrosa, chief of the Antipolo police women and children’s desk, said her office would file before prosecutors the complaint for physical injuries lodged by De la Paz against the other group. This would be done as soon as a prosecutor was available, which could be as early as Monday or after the holiday break, she said.

The case fell on Pedrosa’s lap because it involved a minor—De la Paz’s 14-year-old son, Bino, a junior golfer and a first year high school student at the Ateneo de Manila University.

De la Paz and his son suffered injuries after they were allegedly beaten by two sons of Pangandaman—Nasser Pangandaman Jr., who is the mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, and his brother Hussein—and their companions or supposed bodyguards.

Nasser Jr. received in Iligan City in July an award from the local group Philippine Media Association for being an “effective young leader.”

The Pangandaman group involved in the melee also included one Rene Maglanque. A civil engineer named Rene Maglanque was among those implicated in the “jueteng” (illegal numbers game) controversy that rocked the Arroyo administration in 2005 for being allegedly a jueteng bagman—an accusation which Maglanque denied.

Gentleman’s game

Conflicting accounts from both sides suggested that the time-honored tradition of etiquette or courtesy in the so-called gentlemen’s game apparently went by the board that Friday.

Secretary Pangandaman Sunday disputed allegations that his sons and their companions beat up De la Paz and the boy Bino.

He said De la Paz’ claim that Nasser Jr., Hussein and their companions mauled De la Paz and Bino—over an argument involving golf etiquette—was the opposite of what happened.

Pangandaman alleged it was De la Paz who first attacked Nasser Jr. by hitting him with an umbrella. According to Pangandaman’s version, De la Paz was later helped by Bino, prompting Nasser Jr. and Hussein to retaliate.

“There really was a brawl. They did punch each other, but it was De la Paz who started it,” Pangandaman said in a phone interview.

He said his sons intended to press countercharges of physical injuries against De la Paz, who filed a complaint with the Antipolo police on Friday, the same day the incident occurred.

Pangandaman added he would consult his lawyer about the possible filing of a libel case against De la Paz over reports quoting him as saying that the secretary had shouted invectives at him during the attack.

He denied shouting at De la Paz, adding it was he who “pacified” the two groups. He also denied that his bodyguards were present, adding that personal security teams were not allowed on the golf course.

From Pangandaman’s account, the incident occurred when Nasser Jr., who had arrived late, joined his companions in a flight on the third hole ahead of the De la Paz family, who then complained to a marshal that he had “overtaken them.”

Pangandaman said a marshal explained to De la Paz that Nasser Jr. did not overtake them but was originally part of the flight of four. (Pangandaman was in another flight ahead of his son’s).

On a later hole, De la Paz supposedly made his son and daughter Bambee hit the ball, even though Nasser Jr. was still in the fairway, exposing him to possible injury.

Later, when they were having snacks, Pangandaman said De la Paz confronted them, shouting invectives and complaining about their slow play, and allegedly began hitting Nasser Jr. with an umbrella.

He said they came to blows and Hussein and De la Paz’s son joined in the fight.

Maglanque supported Pangandaman’s story in a Dec. 27 letter to the club management.

Maglanque claimed that De la Paz called other members of his family, who arrived later. They supposedly included “the oldest son [who was] carrying a baseball bat [and] the wife in a duster with a bladed weapon in hand.” But they were blocked by the club security, according to Maglanque’s account.

De la Paz, 56, had told reporters that at the height of the altercation, Nasser Jr. suddenly attacked him and his son, punching and kicking them and shouting: “Hindi mo ba ako nakikilala? (Don’t you know me?)”

Bambee, De la Paz’s 18-year-old daughter who was with them, said the younger Pangandaman continued to attack even though her brother was already on his knees, pleading for him to stop.

Club security did not help

She said that while Secretary Pangandaman did not participate in the attack, he did not lift a finger to stop his son and his companions.

None of the golf club’s security guards and managers tried to stop the beating, she said.

Her family said De la Paz is a businessman who owns a small fishpond in Pampanga. Bambee is on vacation from the University of Cincinnati where she is a golf scholar.

Reached by phone, a close member of the De la Paz family, who asked not to be identified, said: “How could a 56-year-old man, a 14-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl fight it out with five, six or how many big men? Have you seen how big the mayor (Nasser Jr.) is?”

She said the family would consult a lawyer to discuss how best to respond to Pangandaman’s statements.

Facing charges of physical injuries in relation to Republic Act No. 7610, or the child abuse law, are Nasser Jr., Faisal Abdula, Mohammad Hussein, Adnan Pacasum, Rene Maglanque and Arnel Estacio.

The initial list of respondents provided by Inspector Pedrosa seemed to contain some errors, which a De la Paz family member said should be rectified.

For instance, Nasser Jr. was identified in the complaint as “Angel Pangandaman.” The agrarian secretary has an 8-year-old grandson named Angelo.

Pedrosa said the De la Paz complaint would, in the meantime, suffice the filing of a complaint, although the police had not yet interviewed the respondents and eyewitnesses.

“We already have the statement of the complainants who are also witnesses,” Pedrosa said on the phone.

She said the Pangandamans were more than welcome to file its own complaint.